I met up with my friend Art today and drove one of two 2007 Z's they had available.

The one I drove was a Base 6 speed, in magnetic black, which looked better than I expected, with the metallic reflection from the sun angle. In MB the bulge in the hood didn't look bad at all in person, and if anything it looks a little more aggressive. From the inside the hood bulge is more noticable than from the outside, but it is still minimal.

The interior appears to have improved materials for the center console, and new stitched in padding on the lower half of the doors. The storage compartment, if you don't have nav, has a new design, which seems sturdier to the touch when you open it. I also noticed that the Z now has active head restraints, and a passenger air bag light.

On to the drive. Upon starting the Z, you immediately notice that the HR has a noticably different sound, which to me sounds a little deeper, with less of the canny sound of the last VQ, which wasn't bad, just different. I looked under the car as some have posted that the car does not have a true dual exhaust. From what I could see, it does indeed have a true dual design. The piping does come in close together after leaving the cats, but it is still seperate.The exhaust then moves back out towards the sides, as it continues towards the rear.

As I pulled out onto the roadway, I could instantly tell that the HR was much, much, smoother with power delivery, and there is plenty of grunt down low. As you move up through the rpm's, the power comes on strong, with a nice smooth rush. I didn't push the car, as it is too new, but there was no need, as you can tell that the new HR makes more power than the last 300 hp and 287 hp motors, which of course were rated under the old system. Under the old rating, I would suspect this motor would be putting out from 315-320hp.

The ride of the new Z was much more compliant than that of my 2004.5 Z. Bumps in the road feel like they are damped better, and don't seem to upset the direction of the Z, like they can do with my 2004.5. This hasn't taken away from it's fairly sharp handling characteristics though, as the steering feels fairly quick and precise, but still not as razor sharp as I would like.

The noise inside the cabin is also much lower than what I was use to with my 2004.5, before I started modding it, and a little lower than the last 06 I drove, which may be attributed to the smoother and quieter sound of the new HR.

Overall I was very impressed with the 07 Z, as steps have been taken to improve on an already great design, and it appears that a lot of issues have been addressed, like power, smoothness, interior quality, ride and road noise.

One thing that still needs some improvement is the shifter, which still feels exactly as it does in mine. A little less effort, and a little more certainty, would be nice.

I personally want a San Marino Blue enthusiast, when I finally decide to trade my current Z, but I did sit down and talk numbers on the base model, which I would have added the aerodynamics package too. It already came with the upgrade wheels and aluminum kick plates. That said, I could have left there with it for around invoice, but was not getting quite enough of an offer for my 2004, which is in excellent condition, with not so much as one ding. That is a bargaining tool they are using, since the 07 is brand new, and they know it won't last one more day on the lot, but at least I was given first shot, and not too bad of an offer. I decided to be patient and wait for the exact model I want, and sell my car on my own.

Here are 4 pictures of the car I drove, with the upgrade wheels. The quality is so so, as I was in a hurry to get back on the test drive, and had stopped briefly to take the pics.

 

Those chrome wheels are hideous!

 

thanks for the cool write up...and of course...MORE PICS

 

Yeah, the original ones look much better...

 

+1

 

Haha! At least the first comment on this thread is about the wheels and not the hood.

 

Nice gun! Oh... did you go in uniform?

--Sam

 

Thats a cell phone dude, probably a pix of the salesman!

 

The hood is genius compared to the wheels. Don't like the chrome at all. Looks cheap.

 

Ehh the hood still looks fugly to me in the side profile. Entirely ruins the sexy lines of the car for me. On another note, the new door skins look so much better...and the engine cover is sexier too.

NzZ

 

The car LOOKS exactly like an '06 base model, except for the hood and the intake system [Including the interior].

 

cant wait for mine to come, should have it the first week of feb

 

I have owned both the 04 and now an 06 model. I just drove an 07 Z last night(with every intention to trade) and it is clearly quicker than either model I've previously owned. I drove it pretty hard. The difference from the 04 is drastic, but not so different from the 06 model I currently have. The 07 feels much more peppy down low compared to the revup engine. The best way to describe this engine would be to say that it has the low end torque of the early VQ and the top end of the Revup. It is a fantastic engine. The ride, interior, and overall driveability are exactly the same as the 06. The hood is really the only difference and it didn't look that bad however, I still maintain that the previous hood looks much better. It has a strange side view. Other than that, it isn't that big a deal. Instead of upgrading I will more than likely just get a TT kit. Still a great car, great price, and now more fun than before....

 

Engine changed.

 

The old SAE hp rating system. The new system is more stringent.

http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGui...erer=&year=New

I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to the interior on the last 06 I drove. This time, with the 07 being so secretive up until recently, I looked over everything. I don't recall seeing active head restraints in the 06, or the passenger air bag light. I think someone with an 06 needs to do a side by side comparison of the interior.

 

Almost everything you described about the interior is exactly the same as the upgraded interior in the 06 model. In addition, 06 had revised power steering which is why the 07 felt different than your 04 model. The only major difference between the 06 in the 07 is the engine.

BTW, the "rev-up" motor is 293hp under the new SAE ratings.

 

Thanks for the write-up. Can I ask what your walk-out cost would have been with their trade-in offer? I'm considering trading in Z and I just want a ballpark figure of what I'm looking at.. thanks

 

haha.. thats funny! theres a Z emblem in the air conditioning port. I like to put air fresheners in there. I love the look of BRAND NEW!

 

I like it. I wanna go drive one.

 

wtf is up with those wheels!??!?!